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The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.

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Print Publications

  • Domus India
    • Sculpting Temple Design (August 2018)
    • The Paintings of the Saspol Caves in Ladakh (October 2018)
    • The Demon's Tears - Water and Worship at Lonar (November 2018)
    • Nalknad Palace (February 2019)
    • Jain Heritage in Tamilandu (March 2019)
    • The Neelkanth Mahadev Temple of Alwar (May 2019)
    • Museum in Transit (June-July 2019)
    • Memory, Museums, and the Mahatma (October 2019)
    • Temples of the Yoginis (December 2019)
    • The Wonders of the Konark Museum (February 2020)
  • Rail Bandhu the official magazine of Indian Railways
  • Complete Wellbeing Magazine
  • Air Asia Magazine
    • Bloggers Diary: Coorg (March 2015)
  • Being Woman Magazine, Vol 2 Issue 9, November 2014
  • Dainik Bhaskar (Hindi Newspaper)
    • Sringeri - 14th April 2015 
    • Gokarna - 24th March 2015
    • Kolkata -10th Feb 2015
    • Tharangambadi - 30th Dec 2014 


  • YES Magazine, published by the Sai Youth of Maharashtra and Goa     
  • The Hindu Traveller, Bangalore
    • On the river at Wayanad -Issue dated 21st July 2013 
    • A Foaming curtain of white - Jog Falls - Issue dated 25th October, 2013
  • More than 30 of my stories - re-tellings of stories from Indian Mythology and Folk Tales, have appeared in  Bal Mukund - a publication of JK Yog. For details, read my posts on the books here.





    Online Publications


    • On The Alternative, an online magazine which strives to make sustainability a way of life


    • On Travel Thru History, a unique travel 'zine dedicated to exploring historical and cultural experiences



    • On Pocket Cultures - an independent site which aims to increase connections, awareness and understanding between different cultures


    • In The Mother, published from Rishikesh, Himalayas

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